- 5 months ago
John Mousinho speaks to The News ahead of Pompey's south-coast derby with Southampton.
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00:00Last Monday, a very busy deadline day for you and Rich.
00:04Franco, Umar, Joe Bursett, Mackenzie Kirkland, the real icing on the cake, Connor Chaplin
00:09coming in. How did you find that day last week?
00:12It was fine from our perspective, probably apart from the Connor Chaplin deal.
00:17Most of them were pretty much tied up.
00:20Not a long way before, but certainly in terms of the transfer window, a couple of days gives
00:23you plenty of time. We've been tracking Franco for a long, long time.
00:28And, you know, a player that has been on our radar for a while, and certainly when he
00:33became available in the summer, we started the discussions with Crystal Palace.
00:37So, yeah, we knew that was a possibility.
00:39Exactly the same with Joe. We spoke to Joe earlier in the summer.
00:43We were trying to work out a decent exit with Bruges and what that would look like.
00:48It just took a bit longer than we thought, but Joe wasn't a player that just came out
00:51of nowhere. We always knew we wanted to sign him.
00:53And very, very similar with Mackenzie.
00:54There's been a bit of transfer interest in him over the past four or five weeks.
00:58Again, just making sure that, first of all, we came out on top in terms of attracting the
01:04player to the football club when there was other interests.
01:06And, yeah, I don't know when we got the deal done late, but ultimately it was one that
01:11was tied up a couple of days before that.
01:13So, Connor was the only one that sort of flashed up on the radar slightly later than we would
01:18have anticipated.
01:19But thankfully it was a really straightforward one with ourselves and with Ipswich as well,
01:23who were brilliant with facilitating the deal and we managed to get him in the building.
01:27How's the international break been?
01:29I know a lot of fans get frustrated when there's a break and watching football, but as a manager
01:33it must be quite a benefit for you as well, especially back into the transfer window,
01:37getting the new players embedded into the squad.
01:39Yeah, I suppose there's a bit of both on that.
01:43Sometimes you go into the international break with a good bit of momentum like we did and
01:48you probably don't want that to end, but ultimately it's given us a good chance to
01:53have a little bit of a break.
01:54The players have been back in and back at it, I think, since June the 24th with very little
01:59break and quite a few games in between that date and now with all of the friendly fixtures
02:04as well.
02:05So, yeah, good to have a little bit of rest and then good to have a couple of training
02:08blocks with the lads that we've still got left in the building that haven't gone on
02:11international duty.
02:12So, yeah, I think a pretty good two weeks on the whole.
02:15Hayden, Matthews, Luke, the Ruin, Adrian, Seg, Tits, all on international duty.
02:19Neither of them actually played any minutes.
02:21How have they been today?
02:22Have they been training?
02:23They didn't train today.
02:24Adrian and Hayden both flew in this morning, so they've been at the training ground, but
02:29didn't train, just arrived about halfway through training.
02:32Luke got in a bit earlier, but same thing because of the length of flight as well.
02:35We haven't risked them.
02:36It's one of those where we need to make sure that they get over the jet lag first before
02:39they can be involved in anything.
02:40Marlon Puck and Callum Lang.
02:42Is Marlon potentially in contention for Sunday or is it a bit too soon for him?
02:46Yeah, Marlon's in contention.
02:47He's been training, so he should be fit and available for the squad.
02:51We'll have to take a view on that on Saturday when we come back to train and, yeah, that'll
02:55be a good one.
02:56I think he's come back a bit ahead of schedule.
02:58Callum Lang as well.
02:59How's his recovery going?
03:00Yeah, absolutely fine.
03:02We're not all on schedule, so, yeah, no worries.
03:04We can.
03:05Going on to Sunday's derby, what's your knowledge on the South Coast derby as a player and now
03:09as a head coach?
03:11Probably pretty limited as a player.
03:13It was one that I was never near at all as a footballer.
03:17Certainly, when I played, I knew the rivalry existed.
03:23I knew that this was a derby that was really important to both football clubs.
03:27And, yes, certainly since I've signed for the football club, there's absolutely no escaping
03:31it.
03:32You have to, I think, yeah, you've got no other choice but to sort of live and breathe how
03:37much this means to everybody in the city.
03:39And what's been really interesting over the past couple of years as well is that different
03:43perspective now.
03:44I think when you're on the outside, you look and think, oh, that's just a local rivalry,
03:49one that's sort of fuelled by geography.
03:51And, yeah, maybe a few spicy clashes over the year.
03:53It's not until you actually get involved in the detail of why it's such a fierce rivalry.
03:59And, you know, the rarity, I think, and the fact it is a unique derby that really plays
04:06into everything.
04:06And I think particularly just with the fact that it's been so long since the two sides
04:11have met in the league, that's really added to their anticipation and just heightened
04:14everything this week.
04:15Will still obviously had quite a unique story into management.
04:18What are you expecting from his playing styles?
04:20He had quite a long time out in France in Ligue 1.
04:24Yeah, we've obviously looked at the way the opposition have set up over the first four league
04:28games and done a lot of work over the past couple of weeks in terms of how we're going
04:33to approach that.
04:35Extremely good side in terms of the way that they like to get on the ball and like to play
04:39through the lines.
04:40Very distinct in terms of the shape and the way that they play.
04:43So a lot of challenges, I think, that's going to sort of provoke.
04:47And, yeah, we're just going to try and prepare as best as we possibly can for the game.
04:50Southampton obviously brought five players in near the backing of deadline day.
04:55Tom Fellows and Finnaz will be two players that you and the...
04:58squad will probably be familiar with from last season.
05:01Yeah, you know, one of the...
05:03Obviously a side that's come down from the Premier League last year.
05:07So a lot of talent inherently in the side anyway.
05:10And, yeah, I think spent, I think, close to £40 million in the summer.
05:13So you've got huge expectations with that in terms of where the football club want to
05:17go and, you know, what they're expecting.
05:19So I think that's something that we relish.
05:21It's something that as a football club, particularly over the last 12 months, we've come up against
05:25a couple of clubs like this and, you know, we have to show something different and we
05:29have to make sure that we deal with that and we have to make sure that we're not playing
05:31against a budget.
05:32We're not playing against a football club.
05:34We're not playing against the history.
05:35We're just playing against 11 other men and we have to make sure we focus on that.
05:38In terms of Sunday's game, where does it rank in terms of importance of your managerial
05:43career?
05:44Would you say it's up there with the Barnsley game and some of the games back in the last
05:47season?
05:48Yeah, it's a really interesting question, I think.
05:51Certainly there's been other games that have been more important in terms of league position
05:56and in terms of sort of, yeah, like the Barnsley game getting us out of the league or games
06:01last year that kept us in the league.
06:04But I don't think there's been any more important game in terms of the emotion, in terms of the
06:07meaning of the result and just the meaning of being able to play this game for the football
06:12club.
06:12I've really felt that over, probably over the past two years, but particularly that's been really
06:16heightened in the last two or three months.
06:18So definitely in terms of emotion and what it means to the city and what it means to
06:21all the fans, I don't think there's any bigger game.
06:23Finally, how much are you looking forward to hopefully putting on a good performance
06:27for the 3,000 Pompey fans and making them happy when they go 20 minutes back down the
06:31road?
06:31Yeah, that'd be nice.
06:33The most important thing is the result, and the result brings with it a lot of different
06:39consequences, for want of a better word, than most of the games that we play every
06:44weekend. And yeah, if we can put the smiles on the faces of the away fans, then that'll
06:49be a brilliant result.
06:50Pay for your time, John. Good luck on Sunday.
06:52Cheers.
06:59You mentioned about Marlon there. How much would it be a boost to have Marlon back for
07:03this game of all games?
07:05Yeah, I think it'd be a massive boost to have him back. It's been a big boost in training
07:09this week. The interesting thing with Marlon is that regardless of his fitness status,
07:13he would have been with us on the bus on Saturday and there again on Sunday. So it's great to
07:18have him around the place. You may not have noticed he was there up at West Brom, so the
07:22one away game we had where we did miss him, it was really important to us to make sure
07:27that he was still around because he's got such a big influence on the squad. And he is one
07:31of the players that has been here as a fan, has been part of the rivalry, not as a player,
07:38believe it or not, but definitely as a fan over the years. So he knows exactly what it
07:41means and I think we can really lean into that.
07:43Conor Chaplin, is he ready to start?
07:45Yeah, he started Ipswich in his last league game, so he's absolutely fine.
07:50So you had no consequence of putting him straight into the Pompey starting 11 at Southampton?
07:53Yeah, I mean, he's ready, whether tactically we do that or not, because it's been a short
07:59introduction to his Portsmouth career so far. I don't know, so we have to make sure that
08:04we do that properly and we don't put any undue pressure on him from that perspective.
08:09But if you're asking me from a physical standpoint and a fitness standpoint, he had a full pre-season
08:14with Ipswich and he played in their last league game.
08:18So clearly it's not as simple as just putting him in, is it? A lot of thought goes behind
08:22that.
08:22Yeah, we have to make sure we're sensible about what we do and if Conor's ready, if we
08:28feel that he's up to the level, not to the level, we know he's at the level, but certainly
08:34in terms of the way that we want to play, the understanding tactically, the understanding
08:38of the press, the understanding of what we want to do in possession as well, then I think
08:41he's definitely ready for selection.
08:43How has he been since he came in to train?
08:46Yeah, he's been great. I mean, it's been an easy transition. He knows a couple of the
08:49players here. I think living down here anyway has really helped him and that's just been
08:55a very, very smooth transition. Not living down here, but having a place down here and
08:58having that connection to the football club has meant that it's been a very, very smooth
09:01transition for Conor and his family. So I think, yeah, most deadline day moves probably
09:08happen pretty frantically and then players are scrambling around for accommodation to
09:12move the partners over and their kids. We've had none of those issues with Conor. He's
09:16been ready to go and it's been great to have him.
09:18What role do you see for him in your starting XI?
09:20I think he can play a variety of different positions across the front line, but certainly
09:27from where we're looking at, we probably see him most effective as a 10.
09:32And you've got a few options there, haven't you, I suppose, with Segers as well?
09:35Yeah, and Segers has had a brilliant start to the season, one of our better players, and
09:38it just gives us those options. It's not necessarily a position that we were looking to strengthen
09:45in the window. I know we've had the injury to Callum, but we still felt we were okay.
09:50It was just one of those when Conor's name came up as a possibility, there was no way
09:54we were going to turn that down.
09:56Obviously it happened late. When did you first hear about this potential move?
10:00To be honest, there was a possibility, I think, before the weekend of the Preston game,
10:07but thought nothing of it. Conor then started for Richard on the Saturday, which I thought
10:11that probably puts paid to that. But I think there was a very, very sensible conversation
10:17on the other end between Ipswich and Conor about the opportunity that might be elsewhere
10:23and playing time that might be available at Ipswich. I know that they were very, very keen
10:27to keep him if they possibly could, but I think he's been such a good servant to the football
10:31club over the years and he's been so brilliant for them. I think it was a very amicable decision
10:37and I actually don't think his time there is necessarily done either. It's probably one
10:42we'll just review at the end of the season. But yeah, it was one that then came about
10:47very, very late. So we started talking about it in earnest on Sunday and managed to get
10:51the deal done on Monday.
10:52Right, and it came the story of the transfer window for Pompey, didn't it?
10:56Yeah, it just wasn't something we were expecting. We definitely didn't go out and prioritise that
11:01position. If you'd have told me we were going to be able to sign Conor Chaplin at the start
11:04of the window, I probably laughed and said, you know, we need to move on. So we're really
11:09happy to have him in the building.
11:11Are you just looking at Conor for this season and not beyond? Because he's out of contract
11:14yet there's a...
11:16Yeah, I think it's probably foolish for us to get carried away and look beyond the season.
11:22We have him for this year, so that's brilliant. And if it goes well and we have that opportunity
11:28to take him longer term, then that would be brilliant as well. But at the moment, it's just
11:32something that we're looking to make sure we're maximising the short term.
11:36And their manager spoke last weekend and they still highly regard him and they're not closing
11:39the door to him, are they returning?
11:41Yeah, it's one of those that even obviously though they've let him on a loan, he's had
11:44such a brilliant time there. I think just a unique transfer, certainly a unique loan in
11:52terms of the fact that they probably were reluctant to see him go, but have really helped us and
11:59helped Conor in terms of allowing him to make the move and not kept him around as somebody
12:05who would have been brilliant, I'm sure, for Ipswich this season as well. So, yeah, we're
12:09really grateful that Ipswich allowed that to happen.
12:12How do you approach this South Coast derby?
12:15There's, I suppose there's two sides of it. Number one, we just have to make sure we approach
12:20it like any other game in terms of our preparation, in terms of the tactical input that we put in
12:25every single week and we don't get too carried away with everything else. And I suppose there's
12:29the second side of it, which is making sure that we do acknowledge the importance of the
12:33game and acknowledge the impact that it has on the city and everybody connected to the
12:36football club. I think that will help us. I think it definitely will help us and will
12:40hopefully inspire the way that we go about our business. So there's two sides of it.
12:45We will, for 90% of our preparation, just be as normal, but there'll be something slightly
12:51different, I think, as we go to the weekend.
12:52What do you make of Southampton as a side?
12:54I think they've had a solid start, probably been a bit unlucky in a couple of the games,
12:59but very, very strong side, extremely strong side in terms of what they've managed to build
13:03so far this season with, first of all, a playing staff that have come down from the Premier
13:10League and, as you would expect, very, very strong. And again, they've managed to strengthen
13:13in the summer with the money that's been spent. So I think a side that certainly will be
13:18one of the favourites to go back up and, like I said, with the resources and with everything
13:24that you have at your disposal coming down from the Premier League, yeah, they're definitely
13:28a side that will be expected to be up there.
13:32Away from home, you've already performed better this season as well. Could that be a factor?
13:37Yeah, we've wanted to target that since the back end of last season. Our away form did
13:41improve towards the back end of last year, which is really important in getting us over
13:44the line. We had some frustrating results. If you look at Coventry, Preston, Millwall,
13:50lost by the odd goal, but we couldn't quite turn them into points and into wins. And then
13:55towards the back end of the year, we actually managed to turn the corner on that with some,
13:58I thought, some impressive away displays. And yeah, we've really targeted that in the
14:03summer. There were a lot of factors last year that meant that we weren't a particularly
14:05good side away from home and we've been looking to address many of them without really
14:09being able to pinpoint what the problem was. And yeah, so far this season, it's been a decent
14:14start away from home. I think we've looked a lot more solid and we've got to lean into
14:17that again on Sunday.
14:18How can Pompey go to St. Mary's and get a positive result?
14:21Well, I think we have to do the things that have made us a good side over the past six
14:26or seven months. And I think we've certainly proved since, probably since we had that heavy
14:32defeat at West Brom, that we can be a lot more competitive at the level and we can be a
14:35lot more competitive in the division. So what we have to do is make sure that we go there
14:40with the right mindset. We're aggressive, we make it as difficult as possible for a home
14:46side with a raucous atmosphere, I'm sure it will be. And we try and disrupt and then
14:52off the back of that, we try and play the way that we know we can play as well. I know
14:55that when we do start playing and when we do actually start to implement some of the things
15:01that we've been good at, I think we've looked like a good side this year.
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